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Saffron Leche de Tigre

Lime and lemon, white fish, chilli, and saffron infused separately.

Bright, aromatic and lightly spicy, rather than heavy.

Made from 250 g of white fish and 350 ml of citrus juice

Cook this

Do not leave the fish marinating in the acid for too long. You want a fresh, aromatic leche de tigre, not a thick ceviche marinade.

Chef Paul Dukai

Ingredients

  • Fresh fish trimmings or white fish250 g
  • Fresh lime juice250 ml
  • Lemon juice100 ml
  • White fish fumet150 ml
  • Red onion80 g
  • Celery50 g
  • Fresh ginger15 g
  • Garlic, small clove1 each
  • Fresh coriander stalks20 g
  • Fresh chilli, depending on heat10 g to 15 g
  • Saffron0.2 g
  • Sea saltto taste
  • Sugara small pinch
  • Valencian orange zest, from 1 orange, as the consolidated order list allows foroptional, a tiny amount, finely grated

Method

The saffron infusion

  1. Take a small amount of warm fish fumet.

  2. Add the saffron.

  3. Infuse for 20 to 30 minutes.

  4. Strain.

The leche de tigre

  1. Place the fish, onion, celery, ginger, garlic, coriander stalks and chilli into a blender.

  2. Add the lime juice and the lemon juice.

  3. Blend briefly.

  4. Allow it to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.

  5. Add the saffron infusion and the fish fumet.

  6. Blend again briefly.

  7. Pass through a fine sieve.

  8. Season with salt and a tiny pinch of sugar.

  9. Chill immediately.

Chef’s notes

  • The saffron is infused separately and added to the finished leche de tigre. That gives a much cleaner saffron flavour and avoids the saffron becoming muddy or bitter.
  • A tiny amount of Valencian orange zest, finely grated and never the juice, evokes the Mediterranean coast. It should be subtle enough that a guest thinks there is something wonderfully aromatic here, rather than immediately tasting orange. The wording is deliberate: this is an amount judged by aroma, not weighed, and the order list carries one orange for it.

Keeping

DUKAI storage guidance

A raw fish preparation, so the generic three to four days does not apply. Chill it immediately as the recipe says, hold it at 5°C or below, and use it the same day it is made.

Allergens and diet

Fish.

Used in

Also in the Recipe Book

Last refined · September 2026